Across India eBook

The enthusiastic sportsman had hardly begun to climb
the tree before he heard a hissing behind him, and
discovered another cobra. Two of the four in
sight were much smaller than the other two, and he
could easily believe he had come upon a family of
them. He got a position in the tree, and lost
no time in attacking the enemy. He was a good
shot, for he and Louis had both been thoroughly trained
in a shooting-gallery in New York. He gave his
attention to the one nearest to him, and wondered he
had not trodden upon him as he came to the spot.

As this one stood up Felix could see the top of his
head, and he decided to use his revolver first.
He fired; and, as the reptile was not ten feet from
him, so skilful a marksman could hardly help hitting
him. He did hit him, and the ball passed through
his head. He wriggled a moment, and then stretched
himself out at full length, dead.

One of the larger ones was within twenty-five feet
of him, and he used his repeating rifle this time.
He slipped a little in his perch as he discharged
the piece, and the ball went through the snake’s
body, which was furiously mad, hissed and shook himself.
He held still a moment, and then Felix fired again.
The ball seemed to tear his head all to pieces, and
he dropped down out of sight. He had to fire
several times to kill the other two; for, as he expressed
it, they “would not hold still.”

But he had killed the four, and felt just as though
he had settled the snake question. Most of the
natives, who are oftener the victims of the cobra
than the white people, go about in the dark with naked
feet, and it is not strange that they are bitten.
He descended from the tree, and went to examine the
game he had brought down. Cutting some pliable
sticks, he dragged the serpents together, and passed
a withe around them behind the hood, and started back
for the rendezvous where they were to take the carriage.
He was determined to convince Scott that he was not
afraid of snakes.

He had already heard several shots, and realized that
his companions had found game of some kind. He
waited a full hour for them, when Louis returned first,
with a very handsome deer slung on a pole with Khayrat
carrying the other end. Morris came in with a
monkey, which the officers would not have permitted
him to kill if they had been near him. Scott came
in last with only a couple of birds.

“Did ye’s mate ony cobrys, Musther Scott?”
asked Felix.

“Not a cobra; and I didn’t want to meet
any,” replied Scott, disappointed at his luck.

“You’s air afeered of the schnakes,”
rallied the Milesian.

“So are you, Flix. If you saw one you wouldn’t
stop running till you got back to Baroda,” returned
the third officer of the ship.

“But I have seen four of them in my little walk,
and I’m not doing any running just now,”
said Felix triumphantly.

“Go ’way with you, Milesian, and don’t
tell any fish stories!” replied Scott, continuing
to blackguard him while the servants were putting the
deer on the top of the wagon.